1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drains and, more particularly, directed to floor drains that are adjustable to orient the position of the floor drains relative to their surroundings.
2. Description of Related Art
Floor drains are commonly used to funnel fluid from a floor into a drain pipe. By the phrase “floor drain”, it is meant a drain positioned in a generally horizontal surface such as in decks (e.g., promenade decks), workshops, kitchens, lavatories, showers and roofs. Floor drains typically include a drain body secured into the floor (such as in a concrete pad) and covered by a grate through which fluid flows. The grate is held in place by a frame connected to the drain body. An upper surface of the frame defines an opening to receive the grate which may be a rectangular, square or circular shape. A lower second surface of the frame is received by the drain body and may be circular in shape. The frame and drain body typically are connected via a collar in only one orientation relative to each other.
Examples of prior art deck/roof drains include Zurn Industries, Inc. Deck Drain Model Nos. Z-150, Z-154 and Z-158. An example of one such prior art drain is shown in FIG. 1. The drain 2 includes a drain body 4 with a drain pipe receiving portion 6, a frame 8 and a grate 10 received in an opening in an upper end 12 of the frame 8. A drain pipe (not shown) is connected to the pipe receiving portion 5. A lower end 14 of frame 8 is seated on a collar 16. The collar 16 and frame lower end 14 are fixed together via a fastener 18 extending therethrough. Another fastener 20 extends through lower frame end 14 and is threaded into an internal extension 22 of the drain body 4. The drain body 4 is fixed into flooring materials, such as in concrete, not shown. A threaded hole 24 may be defined in an underside of the drain body 4 for receiving a fastener (not shown) that is secured into the flooring materials or framework thereunder.
A drawback to this common design for floor drains is that the frame and grate may not be readily alignable with the surroundings of the drain. The drain surroundings may include architectural features such as walls, corners, floor tiles and the like which have fixed geometric configurations. It is generally desirable to position the grate of a floor drain so that the relationship between surrounding architectural features and edges of the frame is aesthetically acceptable. Typically, the complete drain including the frame and the drain body are rotated so as to align the grate with the walls of a building if plumbing line orientation so permits. In this manner, concrete can be poured around the frame to fix the drain position so that the grate edges appear aligned with the walls of a room. In addition, such prior art drains often require adjustment after attachment of the drain pipe to the drain body. Rotation of the drain body and frame may be limited by the orientation of the drain pipe and associated plumbing. This results in an expensive time consuming ordeal during the installation of the floor drains. In some instances, the drain pipe is connected to the side of the drain body, in which case the drain body cannot be rotated to align the grate with the surroundings.
One solution to the problem of orienting the grate frame after installation of a drain in a floor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,031. The drain includes a main body which receives a rotatable cylindrical insert with an eccentric inner cylinder. A frame with square grate is seated in the eccentric cylinder. By rotating the insert, the eccentric cylinder with grate may be aligned with tiles in the floor. This arrangement requires production of specialized eccentric inserts. In addition, the frame with grate is maintained in position only by the presence of the surrounding floor tiles without being secured to the drain body. Accordingly, a need remains for an adjustable floor drain which utilizes components of existing drain designs and which secures the drain components in their desired orientation.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a floor drain with a grate for easy installation and adjustment of the orientation of the drain grate regardless of the orientation of the drain plumbing lines to the surroundings.